Concrete is being poured for the installation of wind turbines at Kennedy Energy Park, Australia’s first utility-scale wind, solar and storage hybrid energy farm.
Nine of the twelve Wind Turbine Generator (WTG) foundations are now in place using a massive 20,000 tonnes of concrete, 808 tonnes of steel reinforcing and 7500 tonnes of sand.
Each WTG foundation supports a 200m high wind turbine.
“Actually laying the foundations for our WTGs is a ground breaking milestone”, said Matthew O’Connell, President of Nacap, who has the responsibility of constructing the foundations as part of the Quanta Solar Group.
“The pouring starts at 3:30am – the coldest time of the day, to assist the cement to cure properly. This process takes between eight to ten hours for each foundation,” he said.
“Transporting the wind turbine blades is a complicated logistical feat and we are thrilled to be part of such a momentous occasion for the region,” said Port of Townsville Acting General Manager Business Development, Maria James.
Head of Vestas Australia and New Zealand, Peter Cowling, said “The arrival of the blades in Townsville, and now soon with the transportation to Hughenden, will quickly realise the completion of this fast-tracked project. Delivering and installing the largest blades in Australia demonstrates our approach to bringing cutting edge solutions to Australia.”
Mr O’Connell has thanked the local community for its role in the project. “We have contracted locals to help us in this process and built a concrete batching facility on site to help us with the large quantities needed,” he said.
Roger Price, Chief Executive Officer of Kennedy Energy Park co-owner, Windlab, agreed with Mr O’Connell, stating that if it wasn’t for local support, the project wouldn’t be as successful.
“From Townsville to Hughenden, everyone is playing their role to deliver this project for far-north Queenslanders” he said.
